TURNKEY wrote:
I am planning on upgrading the suspension on our small fifth wheel this spring. Trailer is 5800# loaded, dual 3500# axles(2 3/8"). Springs, axles, brakes all seem fine. I am planning on installing a Dexter EZ Flex kit. As well as a shock kit.. The question I have is should I use the wet bolts from the EZ Flex kit or a Never Fail Bushing kit like this?
I would appreciate any and all feed back.
Hi Turnkey,
A few comments. First off, the upgrades you are choosing are well worth it. They should have been on the camper from day one, but that is a different topic.
I myself have the Dexter bronze bushings with the heavy duty shackles and the greaseable pins. "If greased" they give very good performance. You do have to grease them or else they will not give as good a service. I grease mine twice a year and put about 5,000 miles a year on the camper at this point. Not retired yet to put what I would like to put on.... Soon though.
Heads up on the grease pin hole, this has to be installed per the directions or you cannot pump the grease in. If the pin hole is pointing straight down, by accident or choice, the weight of the camper will seal off the hole so tight you do not have enough pressure in a normal hand pump gun to get it in there. If the hole is pointing horizontal, then no problem.
The Never Fail kit you linked, that kit you will throw away most of the kit just to get the bushings. If you search enough you should be able to find just the bushing. I have a camper buddy who installed them but only a year ago so not real run time on them. They are somewhat new to the scene and do not know if there is years worth of data showing they are better or equal to a good bronzed greased bushing. I would say they are lights year better than the original nylon bushing you are replacing but it does not take much to get better than the nylon...
For me, I stayed with the long time tested bronze and grease. I have no problem greasing them twice a year. Do it in the spring and before our long summer trip. I know these will work, but you have to grease them. If you leave them ungreased they will wear faster, still not as bad as nylon, but faster. If greasing the bronze is a problem for you, then go Never Fail. Never Fail is cleaner as there is no grease, however back to that, time tested thing. I do not know if you can go too far wrong with either. The bronze sort of comes along free with the Dexter kit and the heavy duty shackles.
On the shock, just a heads up, when you put the new U bolts on, spin the nuts up by hand and then in a torque progression method, torque them in an X pattern. Meaning start out 1/2 torque etc. in an X pattern and work your way up to full torque. Just do not do full torque on 1nut then go jump to the other. Full torque on one bolt does not sinch up the bolts as evenly as the X pattern.
Good luck and hope this helps
John
